Apparatus for removing waste material from a plastic article

In an apparatus for blow molding a hollow, plastic article from a tubular plastic parison in which said apparatus includes, a split blow mold having two halves, two individual mold support means, one of each support means being attached to one of each mold half and extending below a bottom forming end of each respective mold half, power means to move each individual support means and each associated mold half to open and close said split blow mold and in which said hollow plastic article, while being enclosed and supported by said mold halves, has a tail attached thereto which depends from the bottom forming ends of said mold halves;

• an improved tail grasping assembly for removing said tail from said hollow article, which assembly comprises:
• a. first and second assembly support frames, said first assembly support frame being adjustably attached to one of said two mold support means and said second assembly support frame being adjustably attached to the other of said mold support means, said first and second assembly support frames being positioned below said bottom-forming ends of said mold halves;
• b. first and second power means, said first power means being attached to said first assembly support frame and said second power means being attached to said second support frame, said first and second power means each having a connecting rod extending therefrom towards said bottom-forming ends of said mold halves;
• and
• c. first and second gripping means, said first gripping arm being attached to said first power means and said second gripping means being attached to said second power means, said first and second gripping means being pivotably mounted to said first and second assembly support frames respectively, each pivotal mounting being about a point which is laterally offset from its respective gripping means and in a horizontal plane in which lies that portion of the respective gripping means which is closest to said bottom forming ends of said mold halves, said first and second gripping means being located immediately adjacent to the bottom-forming end of said mold halves and together adapted to engage between them the depending tail for removal from said hollow article upon actuation of said first and second power means.